Right now I am really sad because SOCCER SEASON is over! I had a blast coaching the U13 Girls Soccer Team from Grace International School! God taught me so much about being a compassionate leader to those girls this season. Since I played college soccer I know what it means to really work hard at a sport and give it your all. I learned so much about teamwork while playing in college and really wanted to teach that to the U13 girls.
But I am not going to lie, it was hard to coach at times and teach them how to push themselves. There were so many times I wish I could just play again, and be on the field playing along side of the girls. All the girls were under 13 years old, and they were very dramatic and sensitive to with everything on and off the field. It was a challenge to keep encouraging the girls even when we would be losing a game, and really teach them about glorifying God win or lose! After I saw the tears were contagious and would really get the rest of the team down, I knew that I needed to do something as a leader. So... I told them "No More Crying, unless you are physically hurt"! I told them that if we are losing then we need to keep trying and not give up and go and cry.
At this age I had to continually ask them these points after every practice and game...
How did YOU?....
1. Glorify God today on the field!
2. Have fun!
3. Get better, grow or improve at a skill!
These three things can be taken into everyday circumstances. I told the girls that this should be on and off the field! Yeah we did not win every game but the girls really improved and grew so much! I am so proud of them and their hard work! And I praise God for an awesome ministry to invested into these young girls lives and the lessons I learned from them. To be a leader is to be a servant, and admit when you are wrong. I know I am not the best coach in the world but I do know that God has blessed me with a great experience to grow and learn from this awesome team!
Great blog post Lori and.. You're a great coach!
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